Reinforced concrete corbels strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced plastics

A total of nine reinforced concrete corbels were tested, in this study. Six were externally strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), in the horizontal direction. The cross-sectional area of CFRP and the shear span-to-effective depth ratios are the parameters considered, in this study. Test results indicate that the higher the cross-sectional area of CFRP, the higher is the shear strength of the corbels, and the lower the shear span-to-effective depth ratios, the higher is the shear strength of corbels. The shear strength predicted by the design provisions in section 11.8 of the ACI Code, the strut-and-tie model in Appendix A of the ACI Code, and the softened strut-and-tie (SST) model were compared with the test results. The comparisons show that both the strut-and-tie model in Appendix A of the ACI Code, and the SST model can accurately predict the shear strength of reinforced concrete corbels, strengthened with CFRP.